Do Published Air Drafts Include Windscreens Up?

[simonwootton]

Simple question in the title. Looking to hire a boat with 8ft6in air draft but need to navigate Ludham bridge (which I would do windscreen down and low tide anyway), but just curious.

[dom]

Air drafts are generally minimum, ie. all foldable or sliding parts down.

I'd hope current hire boat marketing stuck to the same convention.

8'6" would be OK at Ludham with care under normal summer conditions. Whether we'll get completely normal conditions this year is yet to be seen. Wroxham seems high still from what I saw yesterday.

[BrundallNavy]

59 minutes ago, simonwootton said:

Simple question in the title. Looking to hire a boat with 8ft6in air draft but need to navigate Ludham bridge (which I would do windscreen down and low tide anyway), but just curious.

I would hate to think what it would be with the screens up. This I’m guessing is a fixed roof boat. 

[CambridgeCabby]

What is the boat you’re looking at ?

[simonwootton]

Richardson's Bolero in late October

[Broads01]

That would be top screens down. Last October Richardsons staff were in force at Ludham Bridge with oil drums to get some of the dual steer boats back through.

[Mouldy]

By the end of October, there’s every possibility of high tides that would make passage through Ludham Bridge difficult.

To be fair, Richardson’s usually send some staff to the bridge in such circumstances to help, but if I were you, I’d look for something with a lower airdraft that will ensure that the you can get through without issues.  Broads Harmony from Richardson’s is a similar design but with screen and canopy lowered, has an airdraft of just 7ft 2ins.

[CambridgeCabby]

If booking for October I would agree that a centre cockpit would be more advisable for passage through Ludham , boats such as Bolero have a true air draught of approx 8ft 3” with everything folded and that air draught would not have got under Ludham this year in October at all 

[simonwootton]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

By the end of October, there’s every possibility of high tides that would make passage through Ludham Bridge difficult.

To be fair, Richardson’s usually send some staff to the bridge in such circumstances to help, but if I were you, I’d look for something with a lower airdraft that will ensure that the you can get through without issues.  Broads Harmony from Richardson’s is a similar design but with screen and canopy lowered, has an airdraft of just 7ft 2ins.

Thanks for the recommendation - Broads Harmony looking favourite 

[Broads01]

If you still like Bolero you could go for that and then if there were issues at Ludham nearer the time, Richardsons would change your booking. It would depend on availability as to what they offered you though.

[marshman]

By October we will be seeing higher tides anyway - I agree it is not guaranteed by any means!

But who knows what a dry summer could produce - I have absolutely no idea at this stage!!